A Boston College sports blog capturing the highs and lows of being a BC fan living 1,000 miles from Chestnut Hill.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

For Gene's consideration, Part II: The Message Board Heroes

Gene Defilippo’s legacy will be our move to the ACC. However, Football is our flagship sport and we are at a crossroads. The decisions Gene makes over the next few weeks are critical. No one from BC has asked for my advice, but think these are the paths we could and should follow. Regardless of which pool or path you want, I think the new head coach needs two traits.1. Has to believe BC can win an ACC championship. Not every year but occasionally.2. Has to respect and support BC’s belief in the student athlete. The focus on graduation predates TOB. I think we have used it as a crutch for bad losses, but I don’t want to see the philosophy trashed. Wake Forest proved you can graduate players and compete.

Some fans are worried that we will never find another coach like TOB. BS. Numerous guys can get us into the Tire Bowl every year. There are only 119 head jobs out there and thousands of assistants looking for their shot. We can find a good Head Coach. I have broken down the pools of candidate into a series of posts.

Part II: The Message Board Heroes

Fans count in this endeavor. Whoever is hired is going to be under the microscope and the primary salesman of this program. So you might as well give the people what they want, right? Not exactly. But some of these fan favorites should be considered. Will they? That is another question.

Mark Whipple.Quarterbacks Coach, Pittsburgh SteelersPros: Head Coaching and NFL experience. Has recruited New England. Won a championship at UMass. Recruited with academic challenges at Brown.Cons: No connection to BC. Has not been part of a Division IA staff. Bottom Line: I think Whipple would be a popular and solid hire. But I’ve never heard his name come out of anyone from BC’s mouth. His candidacy seems to be entirely fan generated.

Jim Fassel. Unemployed. Former Head Coach, New York Giants.Pros: Available. Ties to BC. Great name in the Northeast recruiting territories. NFL experience. Cons: Losing and overall mediocre record as a college Head Coach at Utah. The last time we hired a former NFL head coach who was fired midseason as an offensive coordinator we ended up with Dan Henning.Bottom Line: I think he will be a candidate. I think he could do really well here.

Norm Chow.Offensive Coordinator, Tennessee TitansPros: Offensive innovator and groomer of Quarterbacks. Hugely popular with the fanbase of every school that has an opening. Would certainly create buzz.Cons: No connection to BC. No connection to the Northeast. Reportedly a “difficult personality.”Bottom Line: I don’t think he will be a candidate. Especially when Stanford and ASU are options for him.

Tom Coughlin.Head Coach, New York Giants.Pros: Successful track record at BC. Sent his kids to BC. Beloved by our fans. Great recruiter.Cons: You can’t go home again. May not be available if he can rally the Giants. Bottom Line: Even if he is fired by the Giants, I don’t think he would come back to Boston.

Doug Flutie.Commentator, ABC Sports.Pros: BC legend. Loves BC. Dynamic personality. Great offensive mind. Cons: No coaching experience. Has a large personal commitment with his son Dougie Jr., which might prevent him from being able to work coach’s hours.Bottom Line: If Doug wanted this job he should have gone into coaching instead of broadcasting. I know he loves the school, but would he risk tarnishing his legacy with a comeback?